Cruise Ship Tourism at Labadee, Haiti: an Analysis of Tourism Discourse and its Effects on the Host Gaze

Abstract

This research focuses on the relationship between the tourist gaze and the host gaze in cruise ship tourism in Labadee, Haiti and uses the theory of the tourist gaze developed by Urry (1990) and refined with Larsen (2011) as a theoretical framework. The research contends that the tourists are subjected to a standardized theme-park experience with very little exposure to local culture, which only promotes and perpetuates generalized, romantic and colonialist cycles of representation of the Caribbean. Furthermore, in some passengers, the lack of exposure to local populations has created dissatisfaction and a sense of disenchantment. In parallel, working under the gaze has developed a local attitude echoing historical processes. I argue that unequal power relations and the tourist gaze have direct effects on the sense of self and identity of the host population yet some forms of agency do remain. The research concludes tha! t Haiti f inds itself at a threshold with a tourism industry in its infancy.